


House Spouse

by silver_drip



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, M/M, Marriage, Misunderstandings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-24
Updated: 2017-03-24
Packaged: 2018-10-10 06:07:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10430823
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/silver_drip/pseuds/silver_drip
Summary: Tony and Loki are newlyweds. A misunderstanding happens.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This story has been on my list of ideas to write. 
> 
> Finally threw it together today (while avoiding a different fic I'm writing lol)

* * *

Tony and Loki’s wedding had been a whirlwind.

After the Other had appeared from the Tesseract and attacked New York with it, he was subdued and sent to Asgard.

Not long after the newly formed Avengers were invited to Asgard to celebrate their victory.  

Clint and Bruce had decided to stay on Earth.

Tony was all for going, Natasha wanted to gauge the power of Asgard, and Steve was hoping to find something closer to the world he used to know.

Tony got purposefully lost in the palace on the first day. He knew Natasha was shadowing him, making sure he didn’t cause an interrealm disaster.

Tony stumbled upon the second prince, Loki. He recognized him from a tapestry of the royal family that Thor had pointed out earlier.

Loki was in the library, practically entombed in books and scrolls.

Tony didn’t bother him, instead he kept his hands behind his back and looked over the foreign language.

He had always been good at picking up patterns and found himself immersed in the markings.

The language came together in his mind despite having no idea how to pronounce any of it.

“The feast is soon to begin,” Loki said, cutting through Tony’s thoughts.

“Is this phrase metaphorical?” Tony asked, pointing at one of the scrolls.

Loki raised an eyebrow.

“I thought Asgard’s language was lost to Midgardians.” Loki’s voice was reserved with just a hint of curiosity.

“It is. I just learned how to read it.” Tony paused. “I learned how to read it upside down. I can’t speak it though.”

Loki raised an eyebrow.

He picked up a quill and pulled a piece of parchment towards him. Smooth lines formed on the paper with every stroke of his quill. When he was done, Loki handed him the paper.

“It is a metaphor,” Tony read out loud. “The meaning is to boil down.” Tony set aside the parchment. “That makes a lot more sense.”

“Indeed.” Loki nodded, eyeing him. “We must go. It would be an insult for you to not attend a feast in your honor.”

Tony snorted.

“That’s never stopped me before.”

Loki smirked at him and they headed to the feast.

*

Things escalated from there.

They ignored everyone at the feast, even King Odin.

Tony couldn’t even remember what he ate or drank.

Neither of them slept that night, an exchange of knowledge slipping into endless flirting.

Sometime that morning they made their way to Loki’s chambers.

They slotted together perfectly mentally, emotionally, and physically.

Tony ignored the other Avengers and the rest of Asgard.

Loki was all there was.

Tony was all there was for Loki.

Three days later they were married.

*

Loki wasn’t the only Asgardian to travel back to Midgard, much to Loki’s annoyance.

Sif wanted to join the Avengers, to forge a path without the Warriors Three.

Loki didn’t have to deal with her for a month though.

Tony and Loki went to a house on Tony’s private island for plenty of sex and bonding time.

Uninterrupted sex with a golden apple twist.

*

Tony’s business unfortunately pulled the two lovebirds away from paradise.

Loki was invited to join the Avengers, but he declined. Midgard offered plenty of new knowledge to take in.

Time slipped by in a wonderful mixture of sex and snark.

They occasionally dabbed into each other’s interests.

Tony asked questions about magic that led to new avenues of thought for Loki.

In turn, Loki experimented with technology, showing Tony the differences between Midgardian technology and the technology of the other realms.

Loki was at his calmest when they were snuggled together, working on their own projects.

Tonight they were both languid, sipping on good wine and under a knit blanket.

“Stark, your work wife is here,” Clint called out while walking by them. His nose was nearly buried in a box of fresh pizza.

Loki froze.

_Wife?_

Tony untangled himself from Loki, not noticing how tense he had become.

“Pepper! Love of my life! Wind beneath my wings! What wonders have you brought to my doorstep?”

A beautiful strawberry blond walked in. She moved with grace and had a regality about her that marked her as a queen.

She could easily enrapture Tony—She had enraptured Tony.

They were _married_.

Loki didn’t know Tony was a polygamist.

Had he known…

Loki was tired of sharing.

He thought he had a place here, something that was his own. But…

Pepper had a half-hidden smile on her face before handing Tony a stack of papers.

Her attention turned towards Loki.

“The man who got Tony to tie the knot,” Pepper said, her smile was bright and teasing. Loki felt himself bristling up, but didn’t let it show. “I’m sorry it took us so long to meet. I’m Pepper.”

She held out her hand for him. Loki reluctantly took it.

“A pleasure.” Loki shook her hand, familiar with the Midgardian custom.

“I’m glad there’s finally someone else to take him off my hands. My life has been so much easier since you arrived.” Pepper looked completely delighted and Loki felt bile rising in his throat. “If he ever gets on your nerves, come to me. We can exchange stories.” Pepper winked at him and Tony bemoaned the injustice of it all.

“I will do that.” Loki nodded curtly at her before his eyes flitted over to Tony. He was grinning at Pepper. “If you’ll excuse me.”

Loki left.

He couldn’t handle seeing Tony with someone else.

*

Loki’s suitcase was empty, but on _their_ bed.

Did Tony have another bed just for Pepper and him?

He knew he should be packing his things.

Loki wasn’t enough.

Loki was _never_ enough.

He should have learned that lesson from Odin.

Loki had been naïve.

They were supposed to spend eternity together, but Tony had someone else because Loki wasn’t enough.

Loki was tired of not measuring up.

Tears began blurring his vision as he packed the few items he’d brought with him.

When he left, he wanted no reminders of his mockery of a marriage.

Loki wondered how long it would take Tony to notice he was gone?

Pepper hadn’t been around. Surely they were _renewing_ their bond.

Loki smothered a sob.

Why was he never enough?

“Loki?” Tony’s voice startled him, but Loki couldn’t look away from the shirt he was sloppily folding. “What are you doing?”

“You never told me about her,” Loki said in a whisper. He clutched the shirt, knowing that if he looked up he wouldn’t be able to leave.

Loki didn’t want to be stuck in a shadow again.

“Of course I have. Remember the first day we got back? I was on the phone with her for an hour while she shouted at me for getting married without her there.” Tony moved forward and Loki flinched away.

“Mayhaps I was willfully ignorant.” Loki had deluded himself many times, but not at this scale.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Loki’s breath caught in his throat. It was a generic endearment. What if Tony called her that too?

Was Loki merely a place holder?

“You have to talk to me. How can I make it better if you don’t talk to me?”

Tony took another step towards him and Loki couldn’t move.

“Divorce her,” Loki croaked out, unable to stop himself. “Be mine and no one else’s.”

“What? Divorce who?” Tony reached out, but didn’t touch Loki.

“Pepper, your _wife._ ”

“My… Loki, Pepper and I aren’t married. We’re friends and she runs Stark Industries for me. There’s never been a—Damn it, Clint,” Tony cursed. “A work wife is slang. It pretty much means she helps keep my shit together at Stark Industries and that we have a good _working_ relationship. There’s nothing romantic between us.”

Loki twisted the shirt in his hands.

“You’re not married to her?” Loki asked, a hint of hopefulness in his voice.

Tony pulled Loki into his arms.

“I’m only married to you, and I’d never want it any other way.”


End file.
